Belly blade mounted to center of mower equipment

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to improvements in snow removal vehicles. A vehicle is disclosed, wherein the vehicle may have a reduced turning radius, or a zero-turn radius. The present disclosure also relates to improvements in snow shovels attached to the vehicle, including disclosure directed to a snow shovel mounted to the middle of the vehicle, rather than to the vehicle&#39;s front. Further yet, the present application discloses a snow shovel which is interchangeable with a mower attachment, thereby allowing a vehicle to be used as a snow plow or as a mower.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present inventions relate to the field of snow removal, and morespecifically, to devices and methods for improving snow removalutilizing standard lawn equipment and riding lawn mowers. Among otherthings, the disclosed inventions provide snow removal vehicles havingimproved control, handling, turning radius, which more effectivelyremove snow, and have additional benefits as will become apparentherein.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

It is often necessary to remove snow from hard, paved surfaces, in orderto allow ingress and egress on public or private property. Brooms,shovels, snow blowers, and plows are popular tools for such removal. Insome instances, zero-turn lawn mowers and riding lawn mowers are fittedwith plow shovels, where the plow shovel is mounted to the front of thelawn mower and manually operated. Disadvantageously, such aconfiguration allows for relatively less leverage on the plow shovel. Asa result, there is a need for a configuration which provides increasedleverage on the plow shovel to increase the ability to remove snow froma surface, while also maintaining a tight turning radius.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS

Embodiments of the inventions improve upon prior art methods and devicesby providing a vehicle having an improved ability to remove snow from asurface, while also maintain a tight turning radius.

Embodiments of the inventions are directed to a vehicle for removingsnow, the vehicle comprising a frame; a pair of front wheels, the pairof front wheels comprising a left front wheel mounted on the left sideof a forward portion of the frame; and a right front wheel mounted onthe right side of the forward portion of the frame; a pair of rearwheels mounted to a rear portion of the frame; an engine mounted to theframe coupled to one of the pair of front wheels or rear wheels; a plowshovel, the plow shovel being mounted to the frame between the pair offront wheels and the pair of rear wheels; and an adjustment mechanismmounted to the frame and affixed to the plow shovel wherein theadjustment mechanism is configured to maneuver the position of the plowshovel in relation to the frame.

In some embodiments, the adjustment mechanism further includes a firsthydraulic for controlling the position of the plow shovel. Theadjustment mechanism may further include a second hydraulic forcontrolling the position of the plow shovel. The first and secondhydraulics may be controlled by a user-operated lever.

Some embodiments provide a vehicle control, wherein the vehicle controlmay be at least one steering rod. The vehicle may optionally be azero-turn radius vehicle, such as a riding lawn mower. The vehicle maybe power by a gas engine, wherein the gas engine is connected to an airintake and an exhaust, and wherein the air intake and the exhaust aremounted behind a seat mounted to the frame.

In some embodiments of the invention, the plow shovel is removablymounted to the frame, and further, the plow shovel may beinterchangeable with a mower attachment.

Further yet, additional embodiments of the inventions are directed to avehicle for removing snow, the vehicle comprising a vehicle frame of alawn mower having a removable mover deck; a pair of front wheels mountedto the vehicle frame and a pair of rear wheels mounted to the vehicleframe; an engine mounted to the vehicle frame and coupled to one of thepair of front wheels or the pair of rear wheels to capable of poweringthe vehicle; a belly blade apparatus moveably fastened to the vehicleframe in the general location of the mower deck between the pair offront wheels and the pair of rear wheels; a belly blade apparatusincluding a body having a snow blow mount and a frame mount wherein thebelly blade apparatus is mounted to the vehicle frame at the framemount; the belly blade apparatus including a snowplow blade rotatablyaffixed to the snowplow mount of the belly blade body by a hingemechanism; a hydraulic cylinder affixed to the belly blade body and thesnowplow blade, wherein the hydraulic cylinder is configured to rotatethe blade about the rotatable hinge about a first axis relative to theframe; a trip spring affixed to the snowplow blade and the belly bladeframe; and a mechanism to move the snowplow blade about a second axisrelative to the frame.

In some embodiments, the front wheels and the rear wheels are configuredin a manner that the vehicle operates in a zero-radius turn. The vehicleframe of the lawn mower may be configured as a riding mower, and thevehicle frame may be configured as a stand-on power mower. The pair ofrear wheels can be larger relative to the pair of front wheels, and analternator may be provided, with lights powered by the alternator.

Optionally, the vehicle for removing snow may include a frontend weightbox affixed to the vehicle frame. The front wheels and rear wheels maybe soft-tread aggressive drive tires for additional traction. Furtheryet, vehicle controls may be provided, including at least one steeringrod. The snowplow blade may be positioned mid-way between the frontwheels and the rear wheels at the center of gravity of the vehicle.

Therefore, it is an object of the inventions to provide a vehicle withimproved ability to remove snow, including, without limitation, animprovement in the vehicle's turning radius.

It is a further objective of the inventions to provide a tight turningradius, allowing operators to have more precise control over their snowshoveling. In some embodiments, it is an objective to provide a vehiclewith a zero-turn radius.

A further objective of the inventions is to allow vehicles, such asriding mowers, to be used year-round by interchanging a mower attachmentwith a plow shovel.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view an embodiment of a zero-turn snow removalvehicle.

FIG. 2 is a back view of a plow shovel controlled by hydraulics.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a plow shovel controlled by hydraulics.

FIG. 4 is a top view of a plow shovel controlled by hydraulics.

FIG. 5 is a top view of a plow shovel in a left position.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a plow shovel in a right position.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an alternative design for a belly mountedblade.

FIG. 8 is a top view of an alternative design for a belly mounted blade.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a mounting frame for a belly mounted blade.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a mounting frame for a belly mounted blade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it isto be understood that the inventions are not limited in theirapplication to the details of construction and/or arrangement ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thefollowing drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments, andof being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it should beunderstood that the phraseology and terminology used herein should notbe regarded as limiting the scope of the inventions unless explicitlystated.

The following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in theart to make and use embodiments of the inventions. Various modificationsto the illustrated embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilledin the art. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not intended to belimited to the embodiments shown but are to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. The followdetailed description is to be read with reference to the figures, inwhich the elements in different figures have life reference numerals.The figures, which are not necessarily to scale, depict selectedembodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of embodiments ofthe inventions. A person having ordinary skill in the art will recognizethe examples provided herein have many useful alternatives and fallwithin the scope of embodiments of the invention.

The present disclosure is generally directed to an apparatus and methodfor improving snow removal. The inventions provide a zero-turn vehicle100 having a plow shovel mechanism 110 mounted in the belly locationbetween a pair of front wheels 120, 125, and a pair of back wheels 130,135. The plow shovel mechanism 110 is typically mounted in the samelocation as the mower deck in a zero-turn vehicle 100. In embodiments ofthe invention, the mower deck may be removed and the plow shovelmechanism 110 may be mounted in place of the mower deck. Both the pairof front wheels and the pair of back wheels may include a left and aright wheel, respectively. The inventions improve the amount of snowthat a plow shovel can push aside, and the efficiency with which snow ispushed aside. Moreover, the inventions provide improved handling andcontrol over a zero-turn vehicle.

Generally speaking, the inventions may relate to the use of a zero-turnvehicle 100 for snow removal. Zero-turn vehicles are known in thecontext of, for example, zero-turn lawn mowers. A zero-turn vehicle istypically characterized by its front wheels extending to the front edgeof the vehicle, thus allowing the vehicle to make a “zero radius” turn.In other words, placement of the front wheels at the front edge of thevehicle creates a relatively highly narrow turning radius, which issometimes described as “turning in place.”

While the preferred embodiment focuses on zero-turn vehicles, the plowshovel mechanism 110 or belly bade 304 may be mounted on other types ofequipment. The key feature is that the plow shovel mechanism 110 orbelly blade apparatus 304 is mounted in a generally centralized locationbetween a front pair of wheels 120, 125 and a back pair of wheels 130,135. As such, the plow shovel may be used in connection with a stand-onriding mower; a float deck-walk behind mower; a riding mower or anypiece of equipment in which a belly mount blade can be configuredbetween the front set of wheels and a rear set of wheels. It should beunderstood that the use of the plow shovel mechanism 110 or belly bladeapparatus 304 is not limited to only the zero-turn mower configuration,the description of the zero-turn mower configuration is for exemplarypurposes only. A person of ordinary skill in the art would appreciatehow the plow shovel mechanism 110 or belly blade apparatus 304 may bemounted on stand-on mowers, float deck mowers, riding mowers and thelike of the cradle where the mower equipment is typically mounted.

In FIG. 1, front wheels 120, 125 are shown mounted (using a rotatablehinge, or any other fastener for allowing the front wheels 120, 125 toturn) in the forward-most position on vehicle. FIG. 1 shows a vehiclehaving a frame, wherein the vehicle's frame has a forward edge and arear edge (obscured). Front wheels are positioned along the forward edge140 of the vehicle's frame. Additionally, front wheels 120, 125 aremounted on the corners of the forward edge of the frame; that is to say,left front wheel 125 is mounted to the left corner of the forward edgeof the frame, and right front wheel 120 is mounted to the right cornerof the forward edge of the frame. Rear wheels 130, 135 are positionedalong the rear edge 150. The frame's forward edge 140 and rear edge 150may be connected by side rails 160, 170. However, it should beunderstood that possible embodiments of the inventions have differentframe configurations, including frames in which the front wheels 120,125 which are not necessarily configured in the forward-most position140 of the vehicle, and/or rear wheels 130, 135 which are notnecessarily positioned on the rear edge 150 of the vehicle frame.Embodiments in which front wheels 120, 125 are offset from vehicle'sforward-most position will have a longer turning radius but arenonetheless intended to be within the scope of the present inventions.

Prior art vehicles in which a plow shovel is mounted to the front of thevehicle suffer from the disadvantage that, when plowing snow, the forceof the snow against the plow shovel can create an “upward” force, whichresults in less effective, and/or less efficient, snow plowing.Embodiments of the invention thus counteract such an upward force byconfiguring the plow shovel under the frame, between the front and rearwheels, resulting in improved leverage on the plow shovel and byextension, an improved snow plowing experience.

In FIG. 1, rear wheels 130, 135 are shown to be larger in radius thenfront wheels 120, 125. The relatively larger rear wheels 130, 135 mayprovide improved control over the vehicle 100, especially during snowyor icy conditions. The wheels 120, 125, 130, 135 may be fitted with softtread aggressive drive tires to provide additional traction. In someembodiments, rear wheels 130, 135 may also be wider in width than frontwheels 120, 125. Front wheels 120, 125 may be pivotable to enablesteering. It is contemplated that embodiments of the inventions includevehicle controls sufficient to control the speed and direction of thevehicle 100. For example, vehicle 100 may have a steering wheel orsteering rods 180, or any other known steering mechanism. In addition tosteering, in some embodiments of the inventions, the vehicle controlsfurther include a throttle or pedal for controlling speed of thevehicle, including, in some embodiments, a gas pedal and/or brake pedal.In some embodiments of the inventions, vehicle controls further includea control lever for changing the direction of plow shovel, discussedfurther below.

A seat 190 may be provided, allowing operators of the vehicle 100 to siton the vehicle 100 while operating it. The seat 190 may be attached tothe frame, and vehicle controls may be conveniently positioned to allowa user to operate them easily. An air intake 201, gas engine 200, andexhaust 202 may be provided for powering the vehicle. In embodiments,the air intake 201, gas engine 200, and exhaust 202 may be positionedbehind the seat 190 or under the seat 190. The gas engine 200 may becoupled to the rear wheels 130, 135 and power the rear wheels 130, 135,and, in other embodiments, may power the front wheels 120, 125 insteadof, or in addition to, the rear wheels 130, 135.

The vehicle 100 may also be fitted with certain accessories to enhancethe snow removal operation. For example, the engine 200 may be fittedwith an alternator and light kit. The light kit (not shown) could bemounted on the forward-most position 140 of the vehicle 100. There maybe one or two lights mounted at the forward-most position 140.Additionally, a light may be mounted at the rear edge 150 of the vehicle100. The lights operate to help illuminate the area being plowed. Thevehicle 100 may also be fitted with a safety beacon or strobe light (notshown) which illuminate during operation of the vehicle such that thevehicle is more visible to others. The vehicle could be fitted with afront end weight box along forward-most position 140 of the vehicle 100.The weight box operates to help evenly distribute the weight such thatthe center point of the weight distribution corresponds to the generallocation of the blow blade mechanism 111. The vehicle 100 could also befitted with Mini Sno-Ex salt spreaders on the forward-most position 140or the rear edge 150. Additionally, the vehicle could be fitted withhand covers and heaters at the controls 180 to provide warmth andcomfort to the user.

In embodiments of the inventions, a plow shovel mechanism 111 may beaffixed to the frame of vehicle, for example by mounting the plow shovelmechanism 111 to the left rail 170 and the right rail 16. Further yet,in embodiments of the inventions, the plow shovel mechanism 111 may beaffixed to the frame at a position between the forward edge 140 of theframe and the rear edge 150 of the frame, such that the plow shovelmechanism 111 is affixed to the frame behind front wheels 120, 125.Positioning the plow shovel mechanism 111 behind the front wheels 120,125 provides advantages over prior art vehicles in which the plow shovelis mounted in front of front wheels. For example, positioning the plowshovel mechanism 111 behind front wheels 120, 125 allows the vehicle 100to maintain its “zero-turn radius,” thereby allowing the vehicle 100 tomaneuver through tighter environments with improved control. Theposition of the plow shovel mechanism 111 behind the front wheels 120,125 allows the vehicle 100 to maintain a relatively tight turn radius ascompared to embodiments in which the plow shovel is mounted in front ofthe front wheels. Thus, using embodiments of the invention, it ispossible to configure a vehicle to plow show while maintaining azero-turn radius. And, even if the radius is not a true “zero-turn,”embodiments of the inventions can still provide a reduced, tighter turnradius.

Additionally, in embodiments of the inventions, the weight of vehicle100 may be distributed through the frame and to the front wheels 120,125. Weight may be closely distributed equally to the front and rearwheels, or the rear wheels 130, 135 may carry a greater portion of thevehicle's weight relative to the front wheels 120, 125. Regardless, theweight of the vehicle 100 through the frame creates additional“downward” pressure on the plow shovel 110 (which is mounted between thefront and rear wheels), which thereby increases its leverage relative toembodiments in which the plow shovel mechanism 111 is mounted to thefront of the vehicle 100. That is to say, by positioning the plow shovelmechanism 111 behind the front wheels 120, 125, embodiments of theinvention provided increased leverage to the plow shovel mechanism 111and allow the plow shovel 110 to shovel more snow relative toembodiments wherein the plow shovel is mounted to the front of thevehicle.

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 show an embodiment of the plow shovel mechanism 111.The plow shovel mechanism 111 includes a plow shovel 110 which iscapable of moving the snow along the blade of the plow shovel 110. Theplow shovel 110 may be constructed of steel, aluminum, plastic, vinyl orother suitable material. The plow shovel 110 includes a snow deflector104 which may also be used to attach the plow blade 110 to a hydraulicpiston 220. The hydraulic piston 220 operates to move inward or outwardto adjust the position of the blade 110 with respect to the frame of thevehicle 100. The blade mechanism 111 further includes a stabilizing bar221. The stabilizing bar 221 may be rotatably connected to the plowblade 110 and attached to a hinge 222 positioned on the snow deflector104 attached to the blade 110. Alternatively, the stabilizing bar 221could be a second hydraulic piston as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The plowblade mechanism 111 includes a mount frame 223 to which the firsthydraulic piston 220 and the stabilizing bar 221/second hydraulic piston221 are attached.

Further yet, in some embodiments, the plow shovel may be pivoted from astraight position (FIG. 4) to a left position (FIG. 5) or a rightposition (FIG. 6). Control over the plow shovel 110 may be manual. Insuch embodiments, a user may slide the plow shovel 110 into the desiredposition and then fasten it using known fasteners. In other embodiments,control over the angle of the plow shovel 110 is achieved using controllevers that operate hydraulics 220, 221. Such control levers may bepositioned near the seat 190, together with other vehicle controls.

FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 depict an alternative blade arrangement that may beused as alternative to the plow shovel 110 described in the previousfigures. This attachment may bolt in place of a mower deck on a varietyof equipment. Hydraulically operated, this belly blade attachment canconvert a summer riding mower to an efficient sidewalk snowplow machine.The attachment can partially be removed and mower deck put in place forsummer use. Converting a ZTR mower into an all year-round revenueproducer.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a side view and a top view of a belly blade plow 300configuration. The belly blade 304 may be configured in a generallyC-shaped configuration to deflect the snow along the length of the bellyblade 304. The shape of the blade could be of any configuration such asV-shaped, straight, L-shaped, modl-board configuration, or any otherknown blade shapes. The belly blade 304 has a steel cutting edge 305mounted to the lower portion of the belly blade 304. The cutting edge305 may be made of plastic, vinyl or other suitable material. Thecutting edge 305 may be mounted to the belly blade using any known typeof fastener including but not limited to glue, bolts, fasteners, etc.The belly blade 304 may also including a snow deflector 303 mounted tothe belly blade. The snow deflector 303 may be made of rubber, aluminum,steel, plastic, vinyl or other suitable material and can be fastened tothe belly blade 304 using a bolt, screw, fastener, glue or otherfastening technique.

The belly blade plow 300 includes a plow frame 301. The frame is mountedto the under-belly of a lawn mower 100 in FIG. 1 by means of plowmounting tabs 306. The belly blade plow 300 is held in place to themounting bracket of the zero-turn 100 by a mounting bracket on the siderails 160, 170. A plow blade trip spring 302 is mounted to the bellyblade 304 and the plow frame 301. A hydraulic turn cylinder 307 is alsomounted to the belly blade 304 and the plow frame 301. While a hydraulicturn cylinder 307 is shown in the preferred embodiment, other types ofequipment could be used in place of the hydraulic turn cylinder 307 suchas a setscrew, a rope-and-pulley system or the like. The belly bade 304is mounted to the plow frame 301 by means of a hinge 308.

The belly blade 304 is rotatable 310 about the hinge 308 upon movementof the hydraulic ram 307. When the hydraulic ram 307 is extended, thebelly blade 304 is rotated in a counterclockwise manner 310. Likewise,when the hydraulic ram 307 is contracted, the belly blade 304 is rotatedin a counterclockwise manner 310 above the hinge 308.

FIGS. 9 and 10 depict the mounting frame 320 to mount the plow apparatus300 to the belly blade apparatus 300 to the frame 160, 170 of thezero-turn machine 100. The top 312 of the mounting frame 320 isconnected to the frame 160 or under carriage of the zero-turn machine100 by a pair of bracket 319. The frame 320 includes a scissor liftmechanism 316 which includes a hydraulic lift (not shown) attached tothe center 316(a) of the lift mechanism 316. The lift mechanism 316 alsoincludes a belly blade apparatus mount 316(b) to mount the scissor liftmechanism 316 to the frame 301 of the belly blade apparatus 300. Thescissor lift mechanism 316 operates to raise or lower the height of thebelly blade 304 with respect to the ground. The mounting frame alsoincludes a mounting frame support brace 315.

It is contemplated that the belly blade could be further adapted toaccommodate an aerator roller attachment, a stripper roller attachmentor a left rake attachment.

In embodiments of the inventions, the plow shovel may be interchangeablewith a mower attachment. Such embodiments have the advantage of usingthe same zero-turn vehicle for plowing snow and also mowing grass. Forexample, the plow shovel may be attached to the vehicle during wintermonths, and the mower attachment may be attached during the remainingmonths of the year. The mower attachment may have a blade and a bladecover, wherein the gas engine propels the blade. The blade may bemounted inside the blade cover, and the blade cover, in turn, may bemounted to the vehicle's frame. In some embodiments, one set of boltsmay fit both the plow shovel and the mower blade, allowing for easyinterchangeability.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle for removing snow, the vehiclecomprising: a frame; a pair of front wheels, the pair of front wheelscomprising a left front wheel mounted on the left side of a forwardportion of the frame; and a right front wheel mounted on the right sideof the forward portion of the frame; a pair of rear wheels mounted to arear portion of the frame; an engine mounted to the frame coupled to oneof the pair of front wheels or rear wheels; a plow shovel, the plowshovel being mounted to the frame between the pair of front wheels andthe pair of rear wheels; and an adjustment mechanism mounted to theframe and affixed to the plow shovel wherein the adjustment mechanism isconfigured to maneuver the position of the plow shovel in relation tothe frame.
 2. The vehicle for removing snow of claim 1, wherein theadjustment mechanism further includes a first hydraulic for controllingthe position of the plow shovel.
 3. The vehicle for removing snow ofclaim 2, wherein the adjustment mechanism further includes a secondhydraulic for controlling the position of the plow shovel.
 4. Thevehicle for removing snow of claim 3, wherein the first and secondhydraulic is controlled by a user-operated lever.
 5. The vehicle forremoving snow of claim 4, further comprising at least one vehiclecontrol, wherein the vehicle control is at least one steering rod. 6.The vehicle for removing snow of claim 5, wherein the vehicle is azero-turn radius vehicle.
 7. The vehicle for removing snow of claim 5,wherein the vehicle is a riding lawn mower.
 8. The vehicle for removingsnow of claim 1, wherein the engine is a gas engine connected to an airintake and an exhaust, and wherein the air intake and the exhaust aremounted behind a seat mounted to the frame.
 9. The vehicle of claim 1,wherein the plow shovel is removably mounted to the frame.
 10. Thevehicle of claim 9, further comprising a mower attachment configured tobe interchangeable with the plow shovel.
 11. A vehicle for removingsnow, the vehicle comprising: a vehicle frame of a lawn mower having aremovable mover deck; a pair of front wheels mounted to the vehicleframe and a pair of rear wheels mounted to the vehicle frame; an enginemounted to the vehicle frame and coupled to one of the pair of frontwheels or the pair of rear wheels to capable of powering the vehicle; abelly blade apparatus moveably fastened to the vehicle frame in thegeneral location of the mower deck between the pair of front wheels andthe pair of rear wheels; a belly blade apparatus including a body havinga snow blow mount and a frame mount wherein the belly blade apparatus ismounted to the vehicle frame at the frame mount; the belly bladeapparatus including a snowplow blade rotatably affixed to the snowplowmount of the belly blade body by a hinge mechanism; a hydraulic cylinderaffixed to the belly blade body and the snowplow blade, wherein thehydraulic cylinder is configured to rotate the blade about the rotatablehinge about a first axis relative to the frame; a trip spring affixed tothe snowplow blade and the belly blade frame; and a mechanism to movethe snowplow blade about a second axis relative to the frame.
 12. Thevehicle for removing snow of claim 11, wherein the front wheels and therear wheels are configured in a manner that the vehicle operates in azero-radius turn.
 13. The vehicle for removing snow of claim 11, whereinthe vehicle frame of the lawn mower is configured as a riding mower. 14.The vehicle for removing snow of claim 11, wherein the vehicle frame isconfigured as a stand-on power mower.
 15. The vehicle for removing snowof claim 11, wherein the pair of rear wheels is larger relative to thepair of front wheels.
 16. The vehicle for removing snow of claim 12,further comprising an alternator and lights powered by the alternator.17. The vehicle for removing snow of claim 16, further comprising afrontend weight box affixed to the vehicle frame.
 18. The vehicle forremoving snow of claim 17, wherein the front wheels and rear wheels aresoft-tread aggressive drive tires for additional traction.
 19. Thevehicle for removing snow of claim 18, further comprising at least onevehicle control, wherein the vehicle control is at least one steeringrod.
 20. The vehicle for removing snow of claim 19, wherein the snowplowblade is positioned mid-way between the front wheels and the rear wheelsat the center of gravity of the vehicle.